U.S. patent application number 14/294602 was filed with the patent office on 2014-12-25 for device for the handling of petri dishes.
The applicant listed for this patent is LICONIC AG. Invention is credited to Cosmas G. MALIN.
Application Number | 20140377038 14/294602 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50942007 |
Filed Date | 2014-12-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140377038 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MALIN; Cosmas G. |
December 25, 2014 |
DEVICE FOR THE HANDLING OF PETRI DISHES
Abstract
A rotating holder is envisioned to invert Petri dishes by
180.degree. and to loosen the bottom from the cover, which has two
positions to accommodate Petri dishes. By inverting the rotating
holder around a rotation axis, the Petri dishes are reversed and
inverted in the two positions. Thus the bottom of the upper Petri
dish will be lowered and be engaged by a gripper.
Inventors: |
MALIN; Cosmas G.; (Mauren,
LI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LICONIC AG |
Mauren |
|
LI |
|
|
Family ID: |
50942007 |
Appl. No.: |
14/294602 |
Filed: |
June 3, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
414/222.01 ;
414/226.01; 414/763; 414/816 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C12M 33/00 20130101;
C12M 23/50 20130101; C12M 23/48 20130101; B25J 11/00 20130101; G01N
2035/0429 20130101; G01N 2035/00356 20130101; G01N 35/10 20130101;
C12M 23/10 20130101; G01N 2035/0465 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
414/222.01 ;
414/763; 414/226.01; 414/816 |
International
Class: |
G01N 35/10 20060101
G01N035/10; B25J 11/00 20060101 B25J011/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 4, 2013 |
CH |
1060/13 |
Claims
1. Device for the handling of Petri dishes that have a bottom and a
cover, whereby the device is implemented so as to receive a Petri
dish with underlying cover at least inverting and delivering the
bottom of the Petri dish, or vice versa, characterized in that the
device has a rotating holder (8) that is rotatable around a
rotation axis (21), on which at least a first and second holder
(22) for Petri dishes are arranged, whereby by rotating the
rotating holder (8) the first holder (22) can be brought from a
lower position (23) to an upper position (24) and the second holder
(22) can be brought from the upper position (24) to the lower
position (23) and the Petri dish held in the holders (22) is
invertable.
2. Device according to claim 1, whereby each holder (22) has a
cover holder (26) for receiving the cover of a Petri dish, as well
as a pressure element (27), whereby the pressure element (27) and
the cover holder (26) are radially movable with respect to one
another around the rotation axis (21) so that the cover of the
Petri dish can be pressed against the bottom.
3. Device according to claim 2, whereby the pressure elements (27)
of both holders (22) are movable radially outward by a common
spread drive (33).
4. Device according to claim 3, whereby each pressure element (27)
is coupled with the spread drive (33) via at least two parallel
leaf springs (36), whereby the surface normals of the leaf springs
(36) are perpendicular to the rotation axis (21) and the leaf
springs (36) are at different distances from the rotation axis
(21), such that the leaf springs permit a resilient radial
displacement without tilting the pressure elements (27).
5. Device according to claim 2, whereby the pressure elements (27)
are formed from optically homogeneous plates on the Petri dish
side, especially plates with an optical reflectivity of less than
20% at least at a wavelength between 300 and 1000 nm.
6. Device according to claim 2, whereby the cover holder (26) has a
cut-out (50) through which at least 80% and especially at least 90%
of the Petri dish cover is radially observable from the
outside.
7. Device according to claim 6, whereby the cover holder (26) has
counter-bearings (47), whereby the counter-bearings (47) are
positioned so that the cover of a Petri dish arranged in the holder
(22) can be radially supported from the outside.
8. Device according to claim 2, whereby each cover holder (26) has
a cover holding device with which the cover can be held securely in
the upper position (24) without the bottom, and especially whereby
the cover holding device has clamping members (46) between which
the cover can be clamped securely through lateral forces.
9. Device according to claim 1, which additionally has an
inspection camera (16) with which a Petri dish located in the lower
position (23) can be inspected radially from the outside.
10. Device according to claim 1, which additionally has a gripper
(14) with which the bottom of a Petri dish can be withdrawn from
the upper position (24) or introduced into the upper position
(24).
11. Device according to claim 10, whereby the gripper (14) is
translationally movable in a direction parallel to the rotation
axis (21) and has clamping elements (56) between which the bottom
can be clamped securely through lateral forces.
12. Device according to claim 8, whereby the clamping elements are
held on two arms (43, 53), whereby the arms (43, 53) are
synchronously movable with respect to one another by a drive (44,
54), and especially whereby the two arms (43, 53) are arranged on
gear racks (45, 55) that engage the facing sides of a pinion.
13. Device according to claim 11, whereby the clamping organs have
fingers (56) for pressing against the bottom, whereby the fingers
(56) are held resiliently and engage a guide (58) on the ends set
opposite to the rotating holder (8), whereby the guide (58) limits
the upward and downward movement of these ends.
14. Device according to claim 10, whereby the rotating holder (8)
has cut-outs (60) on one of the sides facing the gripper (14)
through which Petri dishes can be introduced into and/or withdrawn
from the lower position (23).
15. Storage device for the storage and manipulation of Petri dishes
with a device for the handling of Petri dishes according to one of
the preceding claims, comprising a storage space (2) to accommodate
a plurality of Petri dishes with the cover on the bottom and a
processing device (15), whereby the Petri dishes can be inverted
onto a transport path between the storage space (2) and the
processing device (15) by the device for the handling of Petri
dishes.
16. Storage device according to claim 15, whereby the storage space
(2) is arranged in an incubator (1) that has an air-lock opening
(6), and whereby a transport device (3) for moving Petri dishes
between the storage space (2) and the rotating holder (8) through
the air-lock opening (6) is arranged in the incubator (1), whereby
the rotating holder (8) is so arranged outside the air-lock opening
(6) that a Petri dish can be introduced into or removed from the
lower position via linear translational movement through the
air-lock opening (6) by means of the transport device (3), and
especially whereby the linear translational movement is parallel to
the rotation axis (21).
17. Method for operating the device for the handling of Petri
dishes according to claim 1 comprising the steps a) the first
holder (22) is brought to the lower position and the second holder
(22) is brought to the upper position, b) a first Petri dish is
positioned in the first holder (22) and a second Petri dish is
positioned in the second holder (22), either before, during or
after step a), c) the first holder (22) with the first Petri dish
is brought to the upper position and the second holder (22) with
the second Petri dish is brought to the lower position by rotating
the rotating holder (8) around the rotation axis (21), while the
cover and the bottom of each Petri dish are pressed together.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from Swiss Patent
Application No. 1060/13 filed on Jun. 4, 2013. The entire contents
of the priority application are incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a device for the handling of Petri
dishes, a storage device having such a device for the handling of
Petri dishes, and a method of operating the device
BACKGROUND
[0003] Petri dishes are flat, round, generally transparent dishes
with a bottom and a cover that overlaps the bottom, which are
widely used in biology, medicine, or chemistry. Thus, Petri dishes
are used for the cultivation of microorganisms and cell
cultures.
[0004] Microorganisms are introduced in situ into a nutrient medium
in the bottom. Then the Petri dishes are usually incubated with the
cover on the bottom and the nutrient medium on the top. In this
storage, the weight of the plate rests upon the cover, whereby the
seal between the cover and the dish is improved. Excess water is
not formed on the nutrient medium, rather is accumulated on the
cover.
[0005] During the incubation period, the growth of the cultures is
frequently inspected visually. For applications in which large
numbers of plates are worked with, there is a need for automation
of this process. Thus, a Petri dish is removed from the incubator
and/or the storage device according to a specific timetable, and a
processing device, especially an analysis device, is introduced.
For the inspection, the plates should be introduced into the
inspection device with the culture medium down.
[0006] For transferring the Petri dishes between storage and the
inspection device, a transfer device is needed. Usually this has a
pivot arm that is arranged on a wall of the incubation chamber or
storage device. A Petri dish is engaged by a vacuum suction device,
which is arranged at the outer end of the pivot arm, and is
simultaneously removed from the incubator and inverted by means of
a 180 degree rotational movement. The vacuum suction component in
the inspection device must be removed for the inspection.
[0007] A device is known from EP 2 482 079, in which only the
bottom of the Petri dishes is inverted.
[0008] Other solutions are based on the Petri dishes being inverted
by a transport lift within the incubator. Here there is a risk of
contamination of the entire incubator due to the possibility of the
loss of the plate.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The problem is to provide a device for the handling of Petri
dishes, a storage device having such a device for the handling of
Petri dishes, and a method of operating the device, which has high
throughput
[0010] This problem is solved by the objects of the independent
claims. Accordingly, the device has a rotating holder that is
rotatable around a particularly horizontal rotation axis. At least
a first and a second holder for Petri dishes are arranged on the
rotating holder, whereby the first holder is brought from a lower
position to an upper position and the second holder is brought from
the upper position to the lower position by rotating the rotating
holder, and the Petri dishes being held in the holders can be
inverted thereby. This design in which at least two Petri dishes
are inverted simultaneously and are moved back and forth between
two positions enables a process with high throughput.
[0011] The first and second holders are preferably arranged at
180.degree. around the rotation axis.
[0012] Advantageously, each holder has a cover holder for receiving
the cover of a Petri dish, and a pressure element whereby the
pressure element and the cover holder can be moved radially with
respect to one another. The term "radially" in the specification
and the claims is understood to mean the rotation axis of the
rotating holder, i.e., it describes an axis or direction that is
perpendicular to the rotation axis and cuts the rotational
axis.
[0013] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the radial
movement is generated by a spread drive, which is common to the two
holders and with which the pressure elements can be moved radially
outwards and thus can be moved against the covers of the Petri
dishes held in the holders.
[0014] Further, each cover holder advantageously has a cover-holder
device, with which the cover can be held in the upper position
without the bottom. The cover holder device can have clamping
elements, between which the cover can be securely clamped by means
of lateral forces. The phrase "lateral forces" here is understood
to mean forces that act on the side of the cover, i.e., that are
directed against the lateral walls thereof from the outside.
[0015] The device may have a gripper with which the bottom of a
Petri dish located in the upper position can be gripped and can be
taken out of this position or be introduced into this position.
This gripper can advantageously be moved in a direction that is
translationally parallel to the direction of rotation of the
rotating holder, and can have clamping members between which the
bottom can be securely clamped through lateral forces. The phrase
"lateral forces" in this case is understood to mean forces that act
on the side of the bottom, i.e., that are directed against the
lateral walls from the outside.
[0016] The invention also relates to a storage device for storage
and manipulation, e.g., inspection, of Petri dishes. The storage
device has the above-mentioned device for the handling of Petri
dishes and additionally has storage for receiving a plurality of
Petri dishes with the cover downwards, and a processing device. The
system is designed so that the Petri dishes can be inverted with
said device for the handling of Petri dishes on their transport
path between the storage and the processing device.
[0017] Finally, the invention also relates to a method for
operating said apparatus comprising the steps of:
[0018] a) the first holder is brought to the lower position and the
second holder is brought to the upper position;
[0019] b) a first Petri dish is positioned in the first holder and
a second Petri dish is positioned in the second holder--this can
take place before, during or after step a) takes place;
[0020] c) the first holder with the first Petri dish is brought to
the upper position and the second holder with the second Petri dish
is brought to the lower position by rotating the rotating holder
around the rotation axis, while the cover and the bottom of each
Petri dish are pressed together.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0021] Further embodiments, advantages and applications of the
invention will become apparent from the dependent claims and from
the following description with reference to the figures. Thus:
[0022] FIG. 1 shows a schematic top view of a storage device for
Petri dishes,
[0023] FIG. 2 shows a device for the handling of Petri dishes with
a rotating holder and gripper.
[0024] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the device according
to FIG. 2,
[0025] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the pressure elements with
spread drive,
[0026] FIG. 5 shows the arrangement of FIG. 4 seen from the
side,
[0027] FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the cover holder, and
[0028] FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of a gripper.
MEANS TO IMPLEMENT THE INVENTION
[0029] FIG. 1 shows a storage device for Petri dishes. This
comprises an incubator 1, wherein is arranged a storage space 2 in
the form of a carousel and a transport device 3. Components of this
type have been described, for example, in EP 2 482 079. In storage
space 2 are arranged the Petri dishes 10, which respectively have a
cover and a bottom, stored with the cover facing down, while the
culture to be incubated is arranged on the upper-lying bottom.
[0030] The incubator 1 is a climate chamber, in the interior space
4 of which a predetermined temperature, atmosphere and/or humidity
can be maintained. On one side of the incubator 1 is arranged a
user door 5 through which the user can access the interior space 4.
On the side of the incubator 1 opposite the user door 5 there is an
airlock opening 6, which can be closed with a motorized airlock
door 7.
[0031] The transport device 3 serves to move the Petri dishes 10
through the airlock opening 6 between the storage space 2 and a
rotating holder 8 arranged outside of the incubator 1. The rotary
holder 8 will be described in detail below. The transport device 3
has a scoop 9 that can each receive a respective Petri dish 10. The
scoop 9 is vertically adjustable, pivotable around an axis 11 and
radially extendable to the axis 11. The rotating holder 8 is
arranged outside the airlock hole 6 such that a Petri dish 10 is
introduced with the transport device by means of linear
translational movement through the airlock hole 6 into a lower
position (described below) of the rotating holder, or removed
therefrom, advantageously by the linear translational movement that
is generated by horizontally extending and retracting the scoop 9.
The translational movement for loading the rotating holder 8
proceeds parallel to a rotation axis (likewise further described
below) of the rotating holder.
[0032] The components of the system arranged outside of the
incubator 1 are referred to in this text and in the claims as
"device for the handling of Petri dishes". They comprise in
particular the above-mentioned rotating holder 8, a gripper 14, an
analysis device 15 (or, formulated more generally, a processing
device), and inspection camera 16 (FIG. 2). These components, which
are described in more detail below, fulfill the following
roles:
[0033] The rotating holder 8 serves to invert the Petri dishes
coming from storage space 2 (or returning there) so that the
bottoms come to face down, and to separate the bottom and the cover
so that the bottom can be gripped by the gripper 14.
[0034] The gripper 14 serves to bring the bottom of a Petri dish to
the analysis device 15, where the culture is, for example, analyzed
visually.
[0035] The inspection camera 16 serves to check the Petri dish for
contamination with dangerous bacteria before separating the cover
and bottom, so that the opening of the Petri dish can be disabled
in the event of contamination, and the escape of undesired germs
can be avoided.
[0036] The analysis device 15 inspects the bottom of the Petri dish
in the opened state.
[0037] A possible configuration of the rotating holder 8 can be
developed from the FIGS. 2 through 6. It has a rotating body 20
that can be rotated at least 180.degree. by means of a drive around
a horizontally running rotation axis 21. On rotating body 20 are
arranged two holders 22 (FIGS. 2, 3), which can respectively
receive a Petri dish. The holders 22 can be rotated by rotating the
rotating body 20 around the rotation axis 21 in such a way that in
each case one thereof is located in a lower position 23 and the
other in an upper position 24.
[0038] As can be seen from FIG. 3, a holder 29 is provided which
can be attached to the outside wall of the incubator 1, and carries
the rotating holder 8 in a storage space 30 rotatably around the
rotation axis 21.
[0039] Each holder 22 has a cover holder 26 for receiving and
retaining the cover 10a of a Petri dish, and a pressure element 27
with which the cover 10b can be pressed against the bottom 10a. For
this purpose, the cover holder 26 and the pressure element 27 can
be moved radially with respect to one another. In the embodiment
shown for this purpose, the two pressure elements 27 are radially
moveable while the cover holder 26 is in a fixed radial
position.
[0040] A common spread drive is provided to move the pressure
elements 27. This comprises a spread motor 33 arranged on the
rotating body 20. The drive pinion 33 of the spread motor drives
two racks 34 (FIG. 4, 5) which move in opposite directions in a
direction perpendicular to the rotation axis 21. A first spring
retainer 35 is arranged on each rack 34, and each spring retainer
35 holds two parallel leaf springs 36. These leaf springs, which
are connected via the first spring retainer 35 and the rack 34 with
the spread drive, extend perpendicular to the rotation axis 21.
They are arranged so that their surface normals (i.e., the surface
normals of each of the two largest surfaces of each leaf spring)
are perpendicular to the rotation axis 21. The leaf springs 36
lying on the opposite ends of the first spring retainer 35 are each
attached to a second spring retainer 39, each one of which in turn
carries one of the pressure elements 27. Each of the two leaf
springs 36 associated with a pressure element 27 has a different
distance to the rotation axis 21. In this manner, a resilient
storage space is available for each pressure element, which allows
a radial displacement of the pressure elements but prevents tilting
of the pressure elements.
[0041] Each pressure element 27 is formed from a plate that has a
raised circular rim 41 which guides the bottom 10b of the Petri
dish laterally into the upper position 24.
[0042] As can be seen in particular from FIG. 6, each cover holder
26 has a frame 42 that is securely connected to the rotating holder
8. The frame 42 includes two mutually movable arms 43 that are
slidably mounted, which can be synchronously moved relative to one
another by a drive 44. To ensure a synchronized movement of the
arms 43, racks 45 are arranged on the arms 43 to engage on opposite
sides of a pinion (see pinion storage space 49). The drive 44 is
designed as a linear drive, with which the arms 43 can be pressed
apart against a spring force.
[0043] On each arm 43 is resiliently mounted a finger 46 that
carries two counter-bearings 47, which are positioned such that the
cover 10a of a Petri dish arranged in the holder is supported
radially from the outside.
[0044] To hold the cover of a Petri dish securely, the arms 43 are
moved toward each other so that the tips of the fingers 46 press
against the outside of the cover and clamp it securely.
[0045] The components of the cover holder 26 shown in FIG. 6 are
arranged around a cut-out 50, through which at least 80%,
especially at least 90%, of the cover of the Petri dish is
observable radially from the outside. In this way, a visual
inspection by the aforementioned inspection camera 16 is possible
when a Petri dish is in the down position 23. The inspection camera
16 receives an image of the incubate radially from the outside
through the cover 10a to inspect same, and to detect, for example,
any unexpected growth by foreign bacteria.
[0046] To improve the contrast for the inspection camera 16, each
of the plate-shaped pressure elements 27 on the respective facing
side of the Petri dish (Petri dish side) is optically homogeneous,
i.e., the reflectivity varies across the surface by a maximum of
10%. In particular, the Petri dish side surface is dark, i.e., it
has an optical reflectivity of less than 20%, in particular less
than 10%, for at least one wavelength between 300 and 1000 nm. The
wavelength mentioned is the wavelength (or the wavelength range) at
which the measurement results are carried out by the inspection
camera 16.
[0047] As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, a linear guide 51 is
arranged on the holder 29, on which the gripper 14 can be moved in
a direction parallel to the rotation axis 21.
[0048] The configuration of the gripper 14 is given in FIG. 7. The
gripper has clamping members to clamp the bottom 10b of the Petri
dish securely in the upper position 24 by lateral forces. Similarly
to the cover holder 26, the clamping members are held on a pair of
arms 53, which can be moved synchronously relative to one another
by a drive 54. To synchronize the movement of the arms 53, they are
attached to racks 55 that engage the opposing sides of a
pinion.
[0049] The gripping members of the gripper 14 have fingers 56,
which are held resiliently on the leaf springs 57. Each finger
engages with its guide 58 at the opposite end from the rotating
holder 8. This guide is formed by the gap between two plates 59, 60
that are spaced apart, and limits the upward and downward movement
of the member, and thus of the fingers 56, so as to avoid
damage.
[0050] The gripper 14 is arranged so that it can engage the bottom
10b of a Petri dish in the upper position 24 and/or and scan store
it in the upper position 24.
[0051] The gripper 14 on the oppositely lying sides of the rotating
holder 8 has recesses 60 (FIG. 3) through which the transport
device 3 of the system can access each Petri dish in the lower
position 22.
[0052] The operation of the described system is as follows:
[0053] If a Petri dish 10 is to be removed from the storage space 2
and brought to the analysis device 15, the storage space 2 is
rotated so that the transport device 3 can access the desired Petri
dish 10. It uses the scoop 9 to remove the Petri dish 10 from the
storage space 2. The airlock door 7 is opened and the scoop 9 is
moved in a linear translational motion through the airlock opening
6. It places the Petri dish in the cover holder 26 of the holder 22
in the bottom position 23. The side of the cover 10a is fixed by
the clamping device of the cover holder 26. The pressure elements
27 are spread apart so that the lower pressure element presses
against the bottom 10b of the Petri dish stored in the lower
position 23 so that the bottom 10b is fixed to the cover 10a.
[0054] At the same time, the inspection camera 16 can be used to
inspect the Petri dish before or afterwards for foreign germs. If a
foreign germ is recognized, then, for example, the alarm is sounded
and the Petri dish can be discarded.
[0055] Then, the rotating holder 8 is rotated 180.degree. around
the rotation axis 21. In this way, the Petri dish is inverted so
that after the rotation of the rotating holder 8, in the upper
position 24 the cover 10a will be on top and the bottom 10b will be
on the bottom. Simultaneously, a second Petri dish that has
possibly previously been in the upper position is moved downward
and reinverted back.
[0056] Then, the spread drive 33 is put into operation, and the
pressure elements 27 are moved from their extended position to an
intermediate position. In this way, the bottom 10b of the Petri
dish is lowered into the upper position 24 and is disengaged from
the cover. At the same time, a second Petri dish is released in the
lower position 23 so that, for example, it can be engaged by the
transport device 3 and transferred to the storage space 2.
[0057] Then, the gripper 14 with its fingers 56 moves into the
upper position 24, and there engages the bottom 10b of the Petri
dish. Thereafter, the spread drive 33 is again activated to bring
the pressure members 27 from their intermediate position to a
radially innermost position. Thus, the rim 41 of the upper pressure
member 27 is lowered below the bottom 10b so that the gripper 14
can bring the bottom 10b out from the upper position and move it to
the analysis device 15 without colliding with the edge 41.
[0058] The gripper 14 then brings the bottom 10b to the analyzer 15
where the incubate can be analyzed.
[0059] To bring the bottom 10b and the Petri dish back to the
storage space 2, the bottom 10b is first brought back to the upper
position 24 by the gripper 14, the pressure elements 27 are
extended to the radially outermost position, the rotating holder 8
is rotated and the transport device 3 removes the Petri dish from
the lower position 22 for return to the storage space 2.
Remarks
[0060] In the embodiment described, ball chain bearings are
advantageously used with the linear guides.
[0061] For detecting the presence of Petri dishes in the holders 22
and/or in the gripper 14, suitable sensors can be used such as, for
example, optical sensors. An example of such a sensor 70 for the
holders 22 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. It is mounted at the pressure
member 27 and configured to carry out optical reflection
measurements at the Petri dish bottom 10a through an opening
71.
[0062] In the above embodiments, the claimed device for the
handling of Petri dishes is arranged outside of the incubator 1.
Basically, however, it could also be arranged within the incubator
1.
[0063] The pressure elements 27 are freely positionable and their
various positions can be adjusted according to the respective
requirements. In particular, the radially outermost position can be
adapted to the height of the load, i.e., to the height of the Petri
dish. In addition, the positions of the pressure elements can be
adjusted to the swivel height and entry height of the gripper.
[0064] In the above embodiments, the rotating holder 8 has two
holders 22 for Petri dishes. Also conceivable are embodiments that
have more than two holders, e.g., three or four holders, which are
distributed uniformly over the circumference of the rotating holder
8. In this case, the rotating holder 8 would rotate less than
180.degree. in each operational step. In this case, the pressure
elements 27 would be configured so that only the Petri dishes in
the uppermost and lowermost positions could be released.
[0065] As mentioned, the arms 43, 53 are advantageously moved
synchronously with respect to one another, which is realized in the
above-described embodiments with racks that engage on opposite
sides of a pinion. Alternatively, other mechanical (or electrical)
means for synchronizing the arm positions can also be used, such as
cams or joints.
[0066] While the preferred embodiments of the invention are
described in the present application, it is clearly understood that
the invention is not limited thereto, and may be embodied in other
ways within the scope set out in the following claims.
* * * * *